The lockdown will be eased in the green zones whereas the red zones will be under complete restrictions
The health ministry announced on May 1 that the nationwide lockdown, put in place to fight and contain the coronavirus outbreak, has been extended for two more weeks. The lockdown, which was supposed to be lifted on May 3, has now been extended to May 17. New guidelines, published on May 1, updated the country’s designated red, green and orange zoning system. Red zones have been identified as hotspots and will remain under complete restrictions while relaxation will be permitted in the less dangerous areas under orange and green zones. Green zones have been identified as places with either zero confirmed till date or no cases in the last 21 days.
“After a comprehensive review, and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains in the COVID-19 situation in the country, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI) issued an Order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, today, to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4, 2020”, an official statement by the home ministry said. The country has been under complete lockdown since March 24, with more than 35,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. All of the major metropolitan cities in the country have been classified as red zones and will remain shut.
Special Economic Zone, industrial townships, e-commerce and manufacturing activities of essential goods, government offices, agriculture activities, healthcare and banking system, neighbourhood shops and private offices with up to 33% strength will be allowed to reopen, provided the establishments follow strict sanitation and social distancing norms. All types of travel including air, rail and metro, educational institutions, hospitality services and public gatherings will remain restricted.
According to the COVID-19 data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as on May 2, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India is at 37,336 with 1,223 deaths.
